Shoe-lace fastener.



PATENTED MAR; 17, 1908.

G. H. NICHOLLS.

SHOE LACE FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED we. 16. 1907.

INVENTOR .NIDHDLLE:

W/TNESSES awuzfi W EEDRBEH A TTOHNEYS rm: uzmms rsYERs cm, WASNINCYON. n cy GEORGE H. NIGHOLLS,

OF GALVESTON, TEXAS.

SHOE-LACE FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Application filed August 16, 1907. Serial No. 388,800.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE HABBERTON NIOHQLLS, a citizen of the United States, and

a resident of Galveston, in the county of Galveston and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Shoe-Lace Fastener, of which the following is a specification.

In an application for a patent, No. 388,799, filed August 16, 1907, I have described and claimed an improvement in shoe-lace fasten ers in which the distinguishing element or feature is a stud attached to thetongue of a boot or shoe, and having an enlarged head provided with a transverse opening to receive the ends of a shoe-lace proper after having been secured to the shank of the stud.

' My present invention embodies an improvement consisting mainly in a clamp aping applied thereto.

plied to the head of a stud, and adapted to close upon a shoe-lace passed through the opening in the head of the same.

The details of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts are as hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the main portion of a shoe provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a shoe-lace stud provided with a hinged clamp according to my preferred form of invention. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the boot or shoe tongue with my improved shoe-lace fasten- Fig. 4 is a plan view illustrating the first step in the operation of securing the shoe-lace to my improved stud. Fig. 5 is a plan view illustrating the second or final operation of securing the shoe-lace to the stud. Fig. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the position of the ends of the shoe-lace whereby they hold the clamp in the required position for fastening the lace. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modification.

' In all the figures, save Fig. 7, A indicates the stud proper, a a disk forming the base thereof, and B the tongue of the boot or shoe to which the stud is applied. The base a is curved to adapt it to the configuration of the instep of the wearer and the stud may be secured to the tongue B by inserting it through an opening or slot in the same, as shown in Fig. 3; or the said base may be attached to the outer side of the tongue by stitching it thereto, it being provided with openings for that purpose.

As in my previous invention, the head of the stud is enlarged and provided with a transverse opening a. In this instance a device D, in the nature of a clamp, is hinged to one side of the head, as indicated clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. The same may be said to consist of two parallel arms whose outer ends are connected by a transverse piece. The arms are spaced apart and adapted, when the clamp is swung over as indicated in Fig. 3, to pass down on the sides of the head of the stud proper. The stud is cut away or narrowed below the top portion of the head as shown in Fig. 2 inorder to provide space to accomodate the shoe-lace.

In order to apply the shoe-lace and to clamp it to the stud A, I proceed as follows. The lace C having been drawn tight or to the required tension, the ends 0 of the same see Fig. 4are passed in opposite directions through the opening a in the head of the stud and then the clamp D is swung over into the position shown in Figs. 1, 3, 5, by which operation the clamp presses down upon the lace on each side of the apertured head, thus clamping it for effecting a friction hold thereon, so that it cannot slide through the stud so long as the clamp is held in that position. The clamp may be held in such position by various means, but I preferably secure it by passing the extremities c of the shoe-lace back through the opening a, in the head of the stud, said ends thus lying above the clamp, as will be understood by reference to Fig. 1. The bows formed by thus doubling the shoelace upon itself and the final position of the ends of the same are shown by dotted lines Fig. 5. The fastening is thus complete. It will be seen that by doubling the ends of the lace and passing them through the opening in the head of the stud and above the clamp, as indicated in Figs. 1, 6, I not only hold the clamp in place, as required to bite upon the lace, but the ends themselves are held tightly so that they will not be displaced by contact and friction with the edge of the trousers of the wearer. In other words, by the means described I not only secure the shoe-lace, but also hold the ends of the same so that they form a bow presenting the usual appearance. As shown in Fig. 2, the shank of the stud is cut away or narrowed below the upper portion of the head in order to provide space to accommodate. the shoe-lace when forced downwardly by contact with the clamp D. It will also be seen from an inspection of Figs. 2, 3, that the side arms of the clamp are each provided with a notch in theupper side. These notches coincide with the lower portion of the opening a in the stud and thus permit the shoe-lace ends 0 to be more easilyinserted and drawn through the same; and the notches further provide an additional means for holding the ends securely, since the edges of the notches by engagement with the shoe-lace bite upon and hold it with greater friction. The free end of the clamp is provided with a slight projection or flange, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the same consisting of a thumb or nail-hold for facilitating the raising of the clamp out of engagement with the shoe-lace.

In Fig. 7, Ishow a modification in which the stud A is provided with a shank of like diameter throughout, in other words, having no enlarged head, but provided with a lengthwise slot a while the clam D is made detachable from the shank instead of being hinged to it as in the other form of the invention described. The clamp D is in the nature of a ring, but in this instance it is rectangular to adapt it to the form of the stud. It will be seen that as in the case before described the ends of the shoe-lace are passed through the slot (1 in the stud and then the clamp D is slid down on the stud, pressing the shoe-lace down upon a division plate or tooth a arranged in the lower portion of the same; then the ends of the lace are doubled back, as shown by dotted lines Fig. 5, and passed through the slot a of the stud above the clamp D.

I claim 1. The combination with a boot or shoe and its tongue, of a stud secured to said tongue and having a transverse opening in its upper portion, and a clamp adapted to pass over the head of the stud and below the top of the same, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a boot or shoe and its tongue of a stud secured to the upper portion of the tongue and having a transverse opening, a device in the nature of a clamp, the same being adapted to ass over the head of the stud and below t e top of same, and a shoe-lace passed through the opening in the stud below the clamp and repassed through the said opening above the clamp, substantially as described.

3. The improved shoe-lace fastener consisting of a stud adapted to be secured to the tongue of a boot or shoe, the same having a shank provided with a transverse opening in,

its upper portion, and a device in the nature of a clamp which is adapted to pass over said head, substantially as set forth.

4. The improved shoe-lace fastener consisting of a stud having a head provided with a transverse opening, and a device in the nature of a clamp which is hinged at one side to the'stud head and adapted to swing down over the same for securing a shoe-lace in the manner described.

5. The improved shoe-lace fastener consisting of a stud having its head provided with a transverse opening, and a lace-clamping device hinged to one side of the head and adapted to close down over the same, the shank being cut away below the head to provide space for the shoe-lace, substantially as described.

6. The improved shoe-lace fastener consisting of a stud provided with a head having a transverse opening, and a device in the nature of a clamp, the same being hinged at one side of the stud head and adapted to swing down over the same, the upper edges of the side arms of the clamp bein provided with a notch as shown and descri ed.

GEORGE H. NICHOLLS.

Witnesses:

SoLoN C. KEMON, AMos W. HART. 

